On September 15, the Mets organization lost one of the toughest, most hard-nosed players it had ever seen, catcher John Stearns. As Joe D. wrote on MMO, for fans for of a certain age, a part of our childhood passed away that day as well.

As Joe pointed out, after the trade of Tom Seaver on June 15, 1977, Mets fans did not have much to hold. To make matters worse, the Yankees were beginning a run of consecutive World Series titles in 1977 and 1978. Like Joe, I used to argue with my Yankee-supporting friends that Stearns was better than Yankees’ catcher Thurman Munson (Stearns was not). After all, the Mets had a catcher who could steal bases!

As the Mets drifted into the abyss of the late 1970s and early 1980s, fans had Stearns, Willie Montanez (for flash purposes), and Lee Mazzilli (for a brief period, Lenny Randle too). Wins were few and far between, but “The Bad Dude” would do whatever he could to give the Mets a victory. One game from the 1978 season stands out to me (and many fans) that epitomizes the grit Stearns had on the field.

The date was June 30, and the 33-45 Mets were in Pittsburgh to take on the Pirates. The Mets were trailing 3-2 going into the ninth inning. The Mets plated four runs in the ninth, highlighted by an Ed Kranepool single on which Stearns scored, and run-scoring hits by Randle, Joel Youngblood, and Steve Henderson.

Dale Murray took the hill in the bottom of the ninth inning, trying to protect a 6-3 lead. Of course, it would not come easily. After one out, both future Met Frank Taveras and Omar Moreno singled. Dave Parker, the Bucs’ gifted right fielder who resembled a middle linebacker, tripled in both runners. Parker stood as the tying run at third base with one out. What happened next epitomized the toughness of John Stearns.

Future Mets coach, the late Bill Robinson, hit a fly ball to medium-depth right field. Youngblood, who had an outstanding throwing arm, camped under the ball, caught it, and unloaded a strike to home plate as Parker barreled down the line to try to tie the game. This was a 230-pound man, who ran very well, coming full speed at Stearns who had to make the play to preserve the win. Stearns did just that, as Parker slammed into him. In an interview on WCBS radio in 2019, Stearns reflected on the play.

“It wasn’t a deep fly ball, and I went oh my God, here we go. I knew Parker was going to tag, he was the tying run. The game was on the line. Here comes Youngblood’s throw, he one-hopped me. It was over about four feet up the first base side. I caught the ball, and without looking, I mean the game was on the line, I dove over onto the plate on both knees. I put the glove out in front of me to make the tag. So I’m straddling the plate on both knees, and I look up and Parker was about four feet from me running full speed.

I had enough time to stick the glove up. He just obliterated me. Knocked me out of the entire circular dirt area around the batter’s area. I ended up 15 feet away from home plate after he hit me. I had the ball. I held the ball up for the umpire. The umpire went ‘you’re outta there!’ The game was over and we had won. Parker was laying on the ground, holding his cheek and moaning. I got lucky. He hit his cheek on the crown of my head. He knocked the crap out of me. He came up with a broken jaw, and we came up with the win.”

That was John Stearns. Parker missed time and then wore the “c” flap after the incident. Stearns just kept battling.

RIP, John. As a Mets coach, you once said of Mike Piazza in the playoffs “the monster is out of the cage!” We’ll miss your leadership, your toughness, and your talent. Most of all, we’ll miss what you gave to a generation of Mets fans who had little else at the time.

This one hurts.

The post More Reflections On The Career of John Stearns appeared first on Metsmerized.

I feel like part of my childhood just died… Growing up as a kid in Brooklyn in a neighborhood still packed with old Brooklyn Dodger fans, I was naturally groomed to be a Mets fan.

The funny thing is at the time the team started growing on me, it wasn’t the great Tom Seaver or Jerry Koosman that captured my growing passion for Mets baseball… For me my favorite players were the newly acquired Dave Kingman and John Stearns.

I loved watching both of them play and I’d spend hours observing, reading and learning all I can about our newest and exciting Mets.

Kingman homered in the first game I ever attended and I recall Stearns homering the second time I went to Shea. The Mets had become such a big part of my life back then and I wanted to be just like Stearns.

We used to play baseball every day after school. I remember finishing my homework and then quickly grabbing my glove and bat from my bedroom closet and rushing out the door to the schoolyard while my mother was yelling at me to be home for dinner.

When I took my turn at the plate – which we marked off with chalk – I pretended in my mind to be “Bad Dude” John Stearns. I tried to emulate everything about his approach and his swing, but most of all his gritty play and toughness. He was so freaking cool.

I’d argue with many of the Yankee fans on my block about who was better between Stearns and Thurman Munson — and who was meaner!

We were young but we fiercely defended our positions the way gang members defended their turf. I was a Mets fan and no Yankees fan was ever going to one-up me…

What I loved most about Stearns – besides his bat and extraordinary coolness – was his surprising speed. The Bad Dude was fast… real fast. That one season in 1978, Stearns had his coming out party. After firmly establishing himself as the Mets’ full-time catcher in ’77, Stearns would hit 15 homers and steal an incredible 25 bases.

It was so exciting to watch him that season, especially in the aftermath of the Midnight Massacre when general manager M. Donald Grant dealt away Tom Seaver and Dave Kingman. For me, Stearns had become a one-man show.

Unfortunately, injuries curtailed what should’ve been a great career for John Stearns…

This morning I shed a tear when learning that John had passed away last night at the age of 71.

This giant of a man and hard-nosed ballplayer was a four-time All-Star in 10 seasons with the Mets from 1975 to 1984.

The Colorado native was drafted by the Phillies in the first round (second overall) in the 1973 draft. Stearns was also drafted by the Buffalo Bills of the NFL in the same year as a defensive back, but he decided to pursue a career in baseball.

He was traded along with Mac Scarce and Del Unser the following season in December to the Mets, in a deal that netted the Phillies Tug McGraw, Don Hahn, and Dave Schneck.

Stearns would make his Mets major league debut on April 16, 1975, as their catcher. He picked up his first hit in the seventh inning with an RBI double. He would play in 59 games for the Mets in the 1975 season and 32 more in the 1976 season.

In 1977, Stearns became the Mets full-time starter behind the plate (and a few games at first) and was also named to his first All-Star game.

I’m going to miss John Stearns… It was so nice to see him take everything he had left in him to attend the Mets Old Timers’ Day last month at Citi Field. It brought back such wonderful memories. So sad he’s gone…

Like I said, it feels like a small part of my childhood died lastnight…

Rest in peace, John.

The post John Stearns, Former Mets Catcher, Passes Away At 71 appeared first on Metsmerized.

For the first time since 1994, the Mets are hosting an Old Timers’ Day. What once had been a staple of the organization ever since the team originated has now been revived under the Steve Cohen regime, helped by crowdsourcing on Twitter shortly after taking ownership. The early years of the festivities celebrated New York’s brilliant baseball past, especially in 1977 when they brought out Joe DiMaggio, Duke Snider, Mickey Mantle, and Willie Mays — appropriately — from center field.

Now with 60 years of its own history to look back on, this latest version is entirely orange and blue. It’s a day that will span generations as 65 former Mets are taking part, some of whom date back to the very beginning of the franchise.

Plenty of famous faces will be there: Mike Piazza, Mookie Wilson, Keith Hernandez, and starting pitchers Dwight Gooden and Bartolo Colon, but many others who made an impact on this team’s unique past are also going to be recognized Saturday — and may even take their turn at the plate or on the mound. Here are just a few:

Jay Hook

The Mets have won over 4,630 times and it all began with him. Hook pitched a five-hit complete game and walking one in a 9-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates at Forbes Field on April 21, 1962. The Northwestern University alum with a degree in engineering finished ’62 at 8-19 for the 40-120 club and ended his eight-year major league career as a Met in 1964. At 85 years old, Hook will toss out the ceremonial first pitch to Mike Piazza before the present-day Mets take the field for their contest with the Rockies and is hoping to pitch during the Old Timers’ Game.

Frank Thomas

The original Frank Thomas was also an original Met, acquired from the Milwaukee Braves on November 21, 1961. A the three-time All-Star with Pittsburgh clouted at least twenty-five homers in five different seasons—and found similar success with the short left-field porch of the Polo Grounds. He went three straight August games belting two home runs apiece and finished with 34 on the year, a mark which stood for 13 years. Although his power eventually subsided, Thomas topped the 1963 team in RBIs with 60—giving him a two-year total of 154 before getting sent to the Phillies in August 1964.

While Jay Hook is known for a Mets first, Orosco specialized in endings. Specifically in 1986, when he was on the mound for the NLCS and World Series clinchers. Orosco also has ties to the team’s first title, as he was traded to the Mets from Minnesota in exchange for the pitcher who finished the ’69 series, Jerry Koosman. The left-hander who set the MLB record for appearances had his longest stop in Queens, taking up eight of his remarkable 24-year career and racking up 107 saves. Often forgotten in the spotlight of ’86 was his stellar 1983 season, in which he had a 1.47 ERA and was third in the NL Cy Young Award voting.

Howard Johnson

HoJo might be the most underrated Met ever. There’s certainly a case to be made for him having the greatest hitting season, considering what he did in 1989: 36 homers, 101 RBIs, a league-best 104 runs scored, a career-best 41 stolen bases, and the highest single-season Mets totals in OPS+ (169) and offensive bWAR (8.0). Johnson recorded three 30-30 seasons in all (1987, ’89, ’91) and remains prominent on the franchise hitting leaderboards: fourth in home runs, fourth in RBIs, fourth in runs, and third in steals.

Rafael Santana

The starting shortstop on the 1986 Mets is largely forgotten because he didn’t have the star power of his teammates nor did he put up any tremendous figures with the bat. But Santana was a splendid fielder at shortstop and had the sixth-best defensive bWAR in the NL in ’86. He started all 13 games in the postseason that year, and set NLCS positional records for most putouts (13), assists (18) and chances (31). Santana took advantage of the lively ball in 1987, setting career-highs in homers and RBIs.

Terry Leach

The right-handed sidearmer had two separate stints with the Mets in the 1980s and was a godsend to the ’87 club. The loss of Dwight Gooden to drug rehab and Bob Ojeda to injury, among other ailments to New York pitchers, necessitated Leach’s insertion into the rotation. All he did was tally ten consecutive victories, seven of eight as a starter, and have an overall 11-1 record. The Mets were far healthier in ’88, keeping Leach in the bullpen but not keeping him off the mound, as made 52 appearances for the NL East champs and posted a 2.54 ERA.

Rico Brogna

Looking at his Baseball Reference page, it’s hard to believe he only played for the Mets in 228 games over three seasons. Because growing up, I swore he was their first baseman for like eight. Brogna had 138 plate appearances in 1994 but was quite efficient, slashing .351/.380/.626 with an OPS over 1.000. His only full season came in ’95, when those numbers dipped slightly but he still produced 22 homers and drove in 76 with 27 doubles, not to mention being stellar with the glove. A highlight for him came when he hit a walk-off homer on John Franco Day after Franco (and others) were ejected for their involvement in a brawl with the Cubs.

Turk Wendell

There’s quirky, then there’s Turk. Baseball is known for its superstitions and probably no one had more than Wendell. You always could figure out who was coming in to pitch when it was a guy with a shark tooth necklace emerging from the bullpen. Idiosyncrasies aside, he was an oft-used high-leverage reliever during one of the team’s best eras, appearing in 157 games from 1999-00 with a 145 ERA+. If he ends up pitching Saturday and doesn’t throw the rosin bag and jump over the baseline as he jogs to the dugout, we will have not gotten the full Turk Wendell experience.

The post An Old Timers’ Day Primer appeared first on Metsmerized.

On January 5, 2004, Frank Edwin “Tug” McGraw, one of the most colorful players in Mets’ history, passed away from brain cancer at 59 years of age.

McGraw is most famous for coining the term ‘Ya Gotta Believe!” in 1973, during an M. Donald Grant address to the team when the Mets were mired in last place in the National League’s eastern division, and then made their unlikely ascent to a division title.

McGraw began his career with the Mets in 1965, after less than one full season in the minor leagues. He never pitched in Double A or Triple A, making the jump from Class A to the major leagues in spring training of 1965. McGraw was both a starter and reliever in the minor leagues, and served both roles in his early career with the Mets.

In 1965, McGraw posted a record of 2-7 with a respectable ERA of 3.32. His most notable achievement in 1965 was tossing a complete game win against Sandy Koufax and the Dodgers, giving the Mets their first victory against the Brooklyn native and future Hall of Fame pitcher.

After struggling primarily as a starter in both 1966 and part of 1967, McGraw was sent to the minor leagues, where he pitched for part of the 1967 season and all of the 1968 season. When McGraw returned to the Mets for the 1969 season, he began his journey as one of the best relief pitchers in the game.

Tug had a record of 9-3 in 1969, with an ERA of 2.24 and 12 saves. He went on to use his famous screwball, a pitch that, as a left-handed pitcher, faded away from right-handed hitters and in on left-handed hitters, to record 27 saves in 1972 and 25 saves in 1973. McGraw was outstanding down the stretch of the 1973 season. From September 1st through the end of the regular season, he went 3-0 with 10 saves and an ERA of 0.57.

Tug continued his fine pitching into the post season in 1973, throwing five scoreless innings against the mighty Cincinnati Reds in the NLCS, and tossing three scoreless innings in relief to win game two of the World Series against Oakland, after he had blown the save in the ninth inning. McGraw appeared in five of the seven games of the 1973 World Series, allowing just eight hits over 13.2 innings pitched.

After the 1974 season, McGraw was traded along with Don Hahn and Dave Schneck, to the Phillies for Del Unser, John Stearns, and Mac Scarce. As a Met over nine seasons, Tug had a record of 47-55 with 86 saves. He pitched a total of 792.2 innings, striking out 618 hitters and allowing 685 hits.

McGraw was on the mound when the Phillies won the 1980 World Series. As a Phillie, McGraw recorded 94 saves over 10 seasons. He ended his career with a total of 180 saves and a record of 96-92, to go with a 3.14 ERA. He was a two-time all star, in 1972 and 1975.

When thinking about Tug McGraw, in addition to “Ya Gotta Believe!”, I recall his trademark pounding of his glove against his knee when walking off the mound after an inning. He said it was his way of saluting the fans, whom he really liked, and the sentiment was equally returned. You can see the glove pound in the video below from the 1973 World Series.

Tug McGraw is singer Tim McGraw’s father. The two did not have a relationship until the singer was a teenager, but from that point had a strong relationship, as Tug wrote in his book “Ya Gotta Believe”.

Showing his unique character, McGraw was once asked if he preferred the new Astro Turf from Houston’s Astrodome, or grass. McGraw’s response was classic. “I don’t know, I’ve never smoked Astro Turf”.

Rest In Peace, Tug McGraw. Baseball needs more personalities like yours.

The post OTD 2004, Tug McGraw Passes Away From Brain Cancer appeared first on Metsmerized.

Felix Millan was one of my favorite Mets growing up.  Partly because he was a gritty ballplayer who played the keystone well, and partly because I also had the following card from the 1976 set, which showed the Mets second baseman with one of the most pronounced choking up batting positions in the history of the sport.

Choking up to maintain bat control, and avoid striking out, just the way ol’ Dad said to.

Millan had a very nice career as a player.  Playing from 1966 through 1977, Millan was a three-time All Star form 1969 to 1971, won two gold gloves, and despite the less-than-fearsome stance showed on the 1976 card above, had a lifetime .279 batting average.  Millan had the lowest strikeout rate in the National League four times (1971, ’73, ’74 and ’75).  In 1973, the Mets acquired Millan and George Stone from the Braves in exchange for Danny Frisella and Gary Gentry. Stone went 12 – 3 with a 2.80 ERA in 1973, and Millan capably replaced Ken Boswell, hitting .290 and playing defense well enough to get down ballot MVP votes while the Mets won the 1973 National League pennant.

Turning our attention to the 1978 card, let’s put our Sherlock Holmes deerstalker hat on our head and fire up the computer and turn to baseballreference.com to determine if we can answer the obvious questions being asked by the picture on the card:

1. Who is the base runner?
2. What date is the action taken from?
3. Was the batter safe or out at first?
4. Who was the pitcher?
5. Did the Mets win the game?

1) For those who don’t recall that for years #39 on the Pirates belonged to Dave Parker, we can turn to the Uniforms page on baseballreference.com for the 1977 Pirates and note that indeed, in 1977 Dave Parker wore number 39.

Parker had a stellar 1977 season for the Pirates as their full time right fielder.  He led the National League in hits with 215, and doubles with 44 while leading the league in batting with a .338 average.  Parker won his first gold glove in 1977, and had 7.4 bWAR while finishing third in National League MVP voting.

2) Looking at the card, we see the action is from a day game, and Millan is wearing the home uniform of the Mets while Parker is wearing the road uniform of the Pirates in 1977.  Also the field is grass.  We’re therefore looking for a day game from 1977 where Felix Millan played second against the Pirates and Parker was forced out at second, perhaps but not necessarily as part of a double play.

Using the Schedule & Results page from the 1977 Mets, we see the Mets mostly played night games against the Pirates in 1977.  The days were played on April 23, July 16 and a double header on July 17.  Turning to the box scores from each game, the April 23rd game can be eliminated as Millan did not play in the game for the Mets.  The July 16th game can be eliminated as Parker was never forced at second.  In the first game on the July 17th doubleheader, Parker went 0 – 4 and never reached base.  By process of elimination, the game was taken from the second game of the double header on July 17th, 1977 at Shea Stadium.

Indeed, looking at the box score and play by play from that game, we have two possibilities.  The first is the top of the first when Jerry Koosman was pitching and Parker on first, Al Oliver hit into an around the horn double play, Lenny Randle to Millan to John Stearns.  Looking at the clean uniform pants of Millan, that is my choice for the play.  However, in the top of the eighth, with one out and Skip Lockwood pitching with Parker on first, Bill Robinson hit into an a double play, Millan unassisted to Ed Kranepool at first.  However, seeing how close Parker is to second, a grounder to second would be unlikely to have Millan turned that way if he was touching second, nor Parker getting that close to second, especially compared to an around the horn double play.  In addition, by the 8th inning, Millan had already tripled, scored 2 runs and to me would not have had such a clean uniform.  Also, Parker’s uniform would also be dirtier from the double play in the first, if it were the eighth inning.

3) Likely Al Oliver (first inning) or perhaps Bill Robinson (eighth inning) in either event the runner was out at first as no other times was Parker retired on a force at second.

4) Likely Jerry Koosman (first inning), less likely, Skip Lockwood, (eighth inning).

5) The Mets, who finished the 1977 season with a dismal 64 – 98 record, have one of their victories shown on the card, as the Mets won the game 9 – 3.

Let’s take a deerstalker hat off now my fellow baseball card sleuths and hang it on the peg on the wall.  Remember until next time………………………

Lets Go Mets 

The post 1978 Felix Millan, Topps Card Number 505 appeared first on Metsmerized.

On January 5, 2004, Frank Edwin “Tug” McGraw, one of the most colorful players in Mets’ history, passed away from brain cancer at 59 years of age.

McGraw is most famous for coining the term ‘Ya Gotta Believe!” in 1973, during an M. Donald Grant address to the team when the Mets were mired in last place in the National League’s eastern division, and then made their unlikely ascent to a division title.

McGraw began his career with the Mets in 1965, after less than one full season in the minor leagues. He never pitched in Double A or Triple A, making the jump from Class A to the major leagues in spring training of 1965. McGraw was both a starter and reliever in the minor leagues, and served both roles in his early career with the Mets.

In 1965, McGraw posted a record of 2-7 with a respectable ERA of 3.32. His most notable achievement in 1965 was tossing a complete game win against Sandy Koufax and the Dodgers, giving the Mets their first victory against the Brooklyn native and future Hall of Fame pitcher.

After struggling primarily as a starter in both 1966 and part of 1967, McGraw was sent to the minor leagues, where he pitched for part of the 1967 season and all of the 1968 season. When McGraw returned to the Mets for the 1969 season, he began his journey as one of the best relief pitchers in the game.

Tug had a record of 9-3 in 1969, with an ERA of 2.24 and 12 saves. He went on to use his famous screwball, a pitch that, as a left-handed pitcher, faded away from right-handed hitters and in on left-handed hitters, to record 27 saves in 1972 and 25 saves in 1973. McGraw was outstanding down the stretch of the 1973 season. From September 1st through the end of the regular season, he went 3-0 with 10 saves and an ERA of 0.57.

Tug continued his fine pitching into the post season in 1973, throwing five scoreless innings against the mighty Cincinnati Reds in the NLCS, and tossing three scoreless innings in relief to win game two of the World Series against Oakland, after he had blown the save in the ninth inning. McGraw appeared in five of the seven games of the 1973 World Series, allowing just eight hits over 13.2 innings pitched.

After the 1974 season, McGraw was traded along with Don Hahn and Dave Schneck, to the Phillies for Del Unser, John Stearns, and Mac Scarce. As a Met over nine seasons, Tug had a record of 47-55 with 86 saves. He pitched a total of 792.2 innings, striking out 618 hitters and allowing 685 hits.

McGraw was on the mound when the Phillies won the 1980 World Series. As a Phillie, McGraw recorded 94 saves over 10 seasons. He ended his career with a total of 180 saves and a record of 96-92, to go with a 3.14 ERA. He was a two-time all star, in 1972 and 1975.

When thinking about Tug McGraw, in addition to “Ya Gotta Believe!”, I recall his trademark pounding of his glove against his knee when walking off the mound after an inning. He said it was his way of saluting the fans, whom he really liked, and the sentiment was equally returned. You can see the glove pound in the video below from the 1973 World Series.

Tug McGraw is singer Tim McGraw’s father. The two did not have a relationship until the singer was a teenager, but from that point had a strong relationship, as Tug wrote in his book “Ya Gotta Believe”.

Showing his unique character, McGraw was once asked if he preferred the new Astro Turf from Houston’s Astrodome, or grass. McGraw’s response was classic. “I don’t know, I’ve never smoked Astro Turf”.

Rest In Peace, Tug McGraw. Baseball needs more personalities like yours.

The post OTD in 2004: Tug McGraw Passes Away At Age 59 appeared first on Metsmerized.

October 30, 2020 will go down as a very important day in Mets history, as Steve Cohen was approved by MLB owners and the mayor’s office to assume control of the franchise.

The Cohen era will begin just after free agency starts on November 1, which should allow for at least some impact on the construct of the Mets’ roster for next season. Cohen will likely tab former Mets’ general manager Sandy Alderson as Head of Baseball Operations, which should lead to a cascading of moves, from a new GM, to other new baseball executives, to possibly a new field manager.

Having been a Mets fan since 1973, I’ve lived through all of the ownership regimes that the organization has had. Here are some of the things that stand out from each.

The Joan Payson era was first, and lasted from 1962-1975. Under Mrs. Payson’s control, the Mets went from laughing stock to world champions in just eight seasons. After the 1969 championship, the Mets remained at minimum competitive through 1975, adding a National League pennant in 1973.

Mrs. Payson surrounded herself with established baseball executives, George Weiss (1962-1966), Bing Devine (1967), Johnny Murphy (1968-1969), Bob Sheffing (1970-1974), and Joe McDonald (1975). Mrs. Payson was instrumental in bringing Willie Mays to the Mets in 1972, so the star could end his career where it began, in New York.

As a very young fan during her era, my memories are fairly limited. I do recall the acquisition of Willie Mays and my father’s reaction (who was a New York Giants fan). The 1973 season was captivating, and sealed my Mets fandom. Like most Mets fans, I’m a bit perplexed by the lack of a Joan Payson statue at Citi Field, as she was not only the first owner, but also instrumental in bringing National League baseball back to New York after the Dodgers and Giants left for California.

After Mrs. Payson passed away in 1975, her husband, Charles Payson, assumed ownership of the team. However, Mr. Payson was not as interested in baseball as his wife, and in a de facto manner passed control of the team to his daughter, Lorinda de Roulet.

De Roulet presided over the Mets from 1975 through 1979, a very dark era in Mets history. The Mets were competitive in 1975 and 1976, then came the rebuild, highlighted (or low-lighted) by the trade of Tom Seaver in 1977. The de Roulet reign, in some ways, reminds me of the recent Wilpon years. Under DeRoulet, the Mets seemed to put finances first (e.g. the Seaver trade), and the team was operated on a low budget.

This led to frustration by the players. In an article in the Chicago Tribune, Mets catcher John Stearns lamented playing for the Mets in the late 1970s.

“We stunk,” said Stearns, the gung-ho catcher whose career coincided with those horrid Mets teams. ”You’d come to the ballpark as a professional, play as hard as you can so you can go home at night and feel you didn’t cheat anyone of an honest effort. But we had a bunch of guys with little experience, role players on other teams.

”We had a guy (Grant) running the team who had no business running a team. He took away the identity of the Mets when he traded Seaver. We were just a bad team spinning our wheels.”

One horrible memory of the de Roulet ownership was the introduction of a new Mets mascot, a mule named “Mettle.” Originally, the idea was to have a gimmick where Mets’ relievers would ride in from the bullpen on the mule. Fortunately, that never happened, though the mule did make appearances at Shea Stadium. The mule was lonely at Shea, as in 1979, the Mets drew fewer than 800,000 fans.

I’ll leave you with this thought on the de Roulet years. While the Yankees were blowing up free agency and winning championships, one of de Roulet’s daughters went public with a cost-savings idea. She proposed that balls taken out of play be washed (like golf balls) and put back into play. This created the kind of bad press that we, as Mets fans, are all too familiar with in the modern era.

In January of 1980, the Wilpon/Doubleday group assumed control of the Mets, purchasing the team from the Payson/de Roulet family for $21.1 million. Their first move was to hire former Orioles executive, Frank Cashen, as GM. We know what happened from there. The Mets built a powerhouse, culminating in a 1986 championship (though many would argue they should have won more).

In 2002, after some internal squabbling, Nelson Doubleday sold his interest in the team to the Wilpon family, which has maintained control of the team until current day. To be fair, some good things happened under the Wilpon (and later Katz) ownership. The Mets went to the NLCS in 2006, and won a pennant in 2015. Citi Field opened in 2009, and it represents an enormous upgrade over dilapidated Shea Stadium.

Initially, the Wilpons spent liberally on players (Mike Piazza being re-signed, Pedro Martinez, Carlos Beltran to name a few). Then, after the Madoff issue, the team began to operate as a (generously) mid-market team. The Mets would not be in play for high-end talent, rather filling the roster with predominantly less expensive, aging, or injured players (such as Rick Porcello and Michael Wacha). The Mets have also let their own stars leave the organization, seemingly for financial reasons (Jose Reyes in 2011, Zack Wheeler in 2019 to name a couple).

Further, when trading players to contending teams at the deadline, the Mets have chosen to accept lesser prospects to avoid having to pay part of the outgoing player’s salary.

All of this has brought us to the dawn of a new day, the Steve Cohen ownership. When reflecting on prior Mets owners, it’s clear that ride has, at best, been uneven. In addition, the Mets have had a knack for publicly embarrassing themselves.

My hope is that Steve Cohen can not only bring championships to Queens, but he can do so by having a consistently competitive team, and a leadership group that returns a sense of pride and professionalism to Flushing.

It’s been an interesting (not always in a good way) journey through Mets’ ownership over the last 47 years. Here’s hoping for a more consistently positive experience going forward under Steve Cohen.

The post Mets Ownership: A Fan’s Journey appeared first on Metsmerized.

A Mets-Yankees game carries with it certain importance, especially within the New York City area. But Saturday, July 8 brought added historical significance.

June 11’s rainout created a unique day-night doubleheader: an afternoon game at Shea Stadium followed by an event game in the Bronx – the first time in 97 years the same teams played on the same day in two different ballparks.

And if that wasn’t enough of a circus, there was a touch of nostalgia mixed into the opener.

Dwight Gooden, six years removed from his last start in a Mets uniform, would take the mound with his status as a Yankee – and possibly a major leaguer – in the balance.

After two forgettable stints with the Astros and Devil Rays earlier in the year, Gooden had returned to New York.

Gooden was no stranger to marquee events at Shea. Sixteen years before, he created an event-type atmosphere with each start. The 19-year-old brought electricity back to a once-dormant Shea Stadium and went on to win Rookie of the Year in 1984, then captured the Cy Young Award in ’85 and would collect the second-most wins in team history.

The Shea Stadium crowd welcomed their former superstar. The Mets, though, were in no mood for sentimentality.

They had dropped three of their past four – including the previous night’s 2-1 defeat to the Yankees, in which they found that luck was not on their side. Al Leiter worked eight innings, allowed two runs (all in the first inning) and six hits and took the loss – just his second of the season.

The Mets were unable to capitalize on several run-scoring opportunities against Orlando Hernandez. A hot shot by Todd Zeile that was snagged by third baseman Scott Brosius. A bunt by Melvin Mora in front of the plate with runners on first and second that he ran into. A line drive up the middle by Benny Agbayani that was caught by Hernandez and turned into a double play. An eighth-inning fly ball by Derek Bell – with Mora on third – that landed just in front of the wall and into the glove of Paul O’Neill, preventing the Mets from tying the score.

The next day, with Gooden on the mound, the Yankees helped their starter with two early against Bobby Jones. Doc lasted five innings. By then, the Mets had tied it up. The Yanks pushed another run across in the sixth and the Mets were unable to touch the bullpen. Gooden was credited with the victory – his 92nd career win at Shea Stadium.

But there was little time to recap the afternoon, as the scene soon shifted 10 miles for the back-end of this unique double-dip. And while perhaps the best Met of the 80s made a successful return at his old team’s expense, the best Met of the early 2000s was soon to be in the spotlight.

Chuck Knoblauch hit a three-run homer which glanced off Lenny Harris‘ glove and over the left-field wall at Yankee Stadium to provide the difference in a 4-2 final.

But that was not the headline. Far from it.

It was no secret that Mike Piazza owned Roger Clemens. Seven hits and three home runs in 12 at-bats. It was also no secret that Clemens threw hard and inside on occasion.

In the top of the second inning, with Piazza striding to the plate, Clemens used this intimidation tactic again – only this time he took it too far.

His 92 mph fastball veered in the direction of Piazza’s head. Piazza ducked, but the ball hit him square on the helmet, just above the bill. Piazza fell onto his back, eyes closed at first, and then opened. His expression was blank.

As Piazza was being tended to, manager Bobby Valentine and his players glanced in Clemens’ direction. John Stearns, the Mets’ bench coach, yelled at him. Clemens squatted and looked down.

”I didn’t hit Mike on purpose,” said Clemens, the same man who vehemently denied using steroids despite evidence to the contrary. “I was going to pitch him inside. That was my game plan going in.”

Piazza slowly got up and slowly walked off, visibly woozy. More screaming towards Clemens came from the Mets’ dugout – convinced this was an intentional act. After X-rays, Piazza was diagnosed with a concussion and would miss the series finale as well as the upcoming All-Star Game, for which he was voted in as a starter.

The Mets were intent on getting revenge.

Starter Glendon Rusch tried in the bottom of the second with a purpose pitch to Tino Martinez that hit the Yankee first baseman in the backside. Martinez glared at Rusch and flipped his bat before jogging to first. Later, Clemens threw inside to Derek Bell but missed.

The rivalry had reached a new level of hate.

Without any more retaliatory throws, the Mets salvaged the series finale back at Shea, 2-0, thanks to a strong outing from Mike Hampton on three days’ rest. Hampton lasted seven innings and Armando Benitez preserved the shutout.

Two key plays from Piazza’s replacement, Todd Pratt, contributed to the victory. He threw out a pair of runners trying to steal second base, each of which completed a strike ’em out, throw ’em out. In the first inning, Pratt caught Chuck Knoblauch as Derek Jeter fanned. Then in the eighth, he nailed Jose Vizcaino after Knoblauch struck out. Pratt also scored the second run after leading off the seventh inning with a walk.

The final score of what happened on the field, though, got little attention. The focus was still on what occurred the night before.

In a pre-game press conference, Piazza voiced his displeasure with Clemens.

”I wish I could remember him as a great pitcher, as a Cy Young award winner,” Piazza said. ”But I know I can’t do that.”

Clemens attempted to call Piazza on Saturday, but Piazza had no interest in accepting it.

”He’s got no remorse,” Mike said. ”I’m kind of flattered, in a weird way, because he’s trying to tell me the only way to get me out is to try to hurt me…I really can’t say I have respect for him right now.”

The Mets didn’t try to throw at a Yankee on Sunday, but did throw shade in their rival’s direction. GM Steve Phillips forbade the Yankees from using the weight room in the Mets’ locker room, a facility normally shared by the teams. He also scrapped plans to have Al Leiter and Edgardo Alfonzo and their families fly on the Yankees’ postgame charter to Atlanta for the All-Star Game.

At Turner Field, two nights after the series finale with the Yanks, Alfonzo went 0-for-2 with a strikeout while Leiter allowed two hits, two runs, and was tagged with the loss.

The greater concern for the Mets was how the team would look following the All-Star Break. More specifically, when would their star catcher return? And, more importantly, would there be any ill-effects of the concussion?

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